A 'mediocrely gifted' composer

7. A 'mediocrely gifted' composer

In 1899, Ravel conducted his first orchestral piece, Shéhérazade, and was greeted by a raucous response of boos and applause. One critic described the composer as a ‘mediocrely gifted debutante...who will perhaps become something if not someone in about ten years, if he works hard.’